Attaching device for bait boxes



May 19, 1931. T. LLOYD E1' AL ATTACHING DEVICE FOR BAIT' BOXES FiledJuly 8. 1929 mentozs 06 l dmmw ,a zu L mw.

6 mm mm T Patented May 19, 1931 UNITED i sr recata PATENT FFICE`'CIJHOMAS LLOYD AND THOMAS W. LLOYD, OF ASHLEY, IPENNSYLVANA, SSIGNORSOI ONE-THIRD TO 'YVILLARD W. LLOYD, OF ASHLEY, PENNSYLVANIA.

ATTAC'IING DEVICE FOR BAIT BOXES Application lccl July 8,

This invention relates to improvements in attaching devices and moreparticularly, has for an object to provide a. device especiallyadvantageous for use in quickly and effect- '5 .rally securing orattaching bait boxes and like devices to the belt of a sportsman userwithout the necessity ofremoving the belt from the wearers body orthreading the same throughjreceiving loops, whereby the box 1e will beconveniently supported in a position adjacent the users body that accessmay be had thereto and furthermore, when required, that the box may beas readily and as quickly removed from the belt without disturbing itsinitial arrangement or the users apparel.

It is likewise an equally important object of the invention to provide abelt attaching device of the character mentioned so conv structed thatan attaching engagement with l2c a belt or other body supporting devicewill be effected in a manner to prevent distortion, folding or wrinklingof the belt and furthermore, will have a gripping engagement with suchbelt in a manner to prevent, to a great extent, objectionablecreeping ofthe device or the box or bucket to which it is secured, with respect tothe users body, hence, ensuring the permanent arranging of the supportedbox or other device and therefore, main- "3'6 taining it in convenientlyaccessible position at all times.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in partpointed out hereinn after.

In order that the invention and its mode of operation may be readilyunderstood by persons skilled in the art, we have in the accompanyingillustrative drawings, and in the detailedfollowing description basedthereon, 40? set out several possible embodiments of the same.

VIn these drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of the belt attachingdevice showing the same clampa5 ingly engaging a belt and as used inconnection with a prevalent design of baitbox;

' Figure 2 is a similar view wherein the attaching device is shown inits open position ready to receive a belt or similar article therein,and

1929. Serial No. 376,619.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail in top plan view illustrating theattaching device in open position and showing the relative arrangementof the spring securing and clamping iingers with respect to the keepersprovided therefor, and also, showing in dotted lines, the positionstaken by the spring clamping lingers when they are engaged with theirrespective keepers in a belt securing or engaging position.

Having more particular reference to the drawings, in connection withwhich like characters of reference will designate corresponding partsthroughout, we have shown for purposes of illustration herein, ouriinproved belt attaching device as being used in conjunction with adesign of bait box now prevalent in this particular art, the box beingdesignated in its entirety, for convenience, by the numeral l and havingone side Wall thereof formed substantially arcuate as indicated by thenumeral 2, this arcuate portion being adapted to snugly engage against aportion of a users body, while the bait box proper' is provided with ahinged closure or cover 3, for an obvious purpose. The bait box l, aswill be understood, is preferably constructed of sheet metal, though, ofcourse, it may be formed of various other materials, such as conditionsor preference may dictate. The improved belt attaching device, may bestated to comprise a single length of spring wire, bent intosubstantially irl-shaped formation as is well shown in the Figure 2, thebasal portion e of the device being laterally offset from the oppositesides or {inger portions thereof by the forming of a substantially rightangular bend 5 in the normally lower portions of each of said oppositesides of the device.

Securing or clamping fingers indicated by the numeral 6 are constitutedby the opposite sides of the device and as will be noted, these fingersare formed with interi'nediately disposed loops 7, whereby to impartgreater elasticity or spring thereto and also, to adord an effectualmeans for increasing the extent of frictional engagement of the fingerswith a belt 8 or other device to be engaged thereby; the freeextremities of the fingers 6 bei eff'ectingthe securing of the clampingspring fingers 6 in clamping or securing engagement with a belt 8 or.similar device to which the same are to be'attached, I lprovide acurved orarcuateleeper 10, forming the sameof a V.length of wire'andcurving the intermediate or body; portion thereof' upon itself,.asf1swell shown 'in the Figure 3,7and forming. upon theoppositegextremities"of vsaid body portion-,inwardly turned or disposedpieces or keepers indicated for convenience j by the numeral 11, theextremities of these keepers being preferably provided with enlargedheads asis indicated by the numeral 12,1 The length of the body portionof the keeper 10,. as will be noted upon reference to the accompanyingdrawings, is such that the opposite extremities thereof carryingthelinlwardly disposed melnbersf11 are arranged sli-ghtly in-k -wardly.of theV spring lingers 6 Vwhen said V lingers are in their open orinoperative positions, as illustrated in the Figure 2Q .This keeper 10is preferably lixedly secured to the normally upper portion of thearcuate side wall 2 of the bait box 1 longitudinally of the same in amanner to positively effect the retaining of the keeper members 11V inpositions extended outwardly from' the lbait box, whereby topermitoflready and convenient engagement of the upper or free portions of theVspring engaging and clamping vlingers 6 therein, in the manner as isshown in the F Y v 745i .i i

ure 3. Y Y Y It will also be vnoted upon reference to the drawings,thatthe keeper 10 is fixed" to the wall 2 ofthe ,box 1 in such aposition" that the keepers'll will receive or engage thespringfiingerslat points below their'enlarged "or headed portions9.reason of this, it

will be understood that the-spring arms 6 will bei limited intheiroutwardv transversal slid stress Vbe accidently applied to the springfin- Y legers 6, these latter wouldV naturally bulge outwardly, and theenlarged portionV 9` thereof coming infcontactV with Vadjacent portionslof the arcuate keepermembersll, will pre vent the lingers from slidingout. of engagement therewith. i Y. e a In usage of my improved attachingdevice and assuming that the same is Valiixed or secured to a bait boxsuch as illustrated herein 5 and identified by the numeralV l, thespringing' movement, that iis, should transversalv of. the bd-yporton .of the,keep@ member 10,

securing and clamping ngers 6 are arranged in their open 0r in operativepositions as is shown in the Figure 2. At this time, the fingers areengaged over one side of the'belt 8 in the fashion shown in theFigure 1,Whereuponthe vfree extremities 9 thereof are engaged between the fingersof va users hand and flexed in a direction toward each other andinwardly with respect to the bait `loox 1, bringing them into proximityto or Contact withthe intermediate or body portion ofthe element 10. Atthis time, the free extremities of the fingers 6 are released whereuponthey will immediately'snap into fixed engagement "with their adjacentkeeper members 11 and in so doingrwil l effect a positiveclamping-engagement or connection with the belt V8, hence, ensuringaneiiicient connection of the'bait box 1 to the belt 8, which, ofvcourse, is arranged vabout the body of a sportsman user. Due totheprovision of the loops 7 in theintermediatel portions of thespringlingers 6, itwill be seen that a positive kvf-rictional connectionwill be eiiected asbetween theseloops and the belt'and consequently uponthis,that the shifting movementl ofthe attached bait box 1 along thebelt 8 will beprevented, This. clamping engagement, of course, isaccentuated by reason ofthe inherent.resiliency of` the spring arms (iand their inode of engagement inthe keeper members 1.1 secured to theupper side of the arcuate side wall 2 of the bait box 1. Furthermore, itis to be underV stood that by rea-son of the formation of the loops 7 inthe spring fingers 6, the elasticity of these ngers will be Vmateriallyincreased A and therefore, that their free extremities will bepositively retained lwithin their respective keeper members 11, hence,preventing accidental or undue disconnection of the fastener orattachingdevice from the belt 8 as Y well as effecting sucha clampingengagement with said belt 8 as to prevent the creeping of the attachedbait box 1 ytherealong.

The respective lengths of the spring fingers 6 is such that thefreeextremities 9'y thereof,

preferably extend for slight distances above e s the upper side of theequipped bait box 1,- so as to permit of convenient engage]nentk there'-with by a user, when itis desiredfto detach the'ba'it box 1 fromth'ebelt 8.0i'. to rearrange the same',v such: as "preferencemay dictate.

Because of the arcuate or curved formati onit will/be seen that not onlyis a positive engagement of this element with the'arcuate side wall 2lof the bait box ensu'red,"but also, the 'ngers 6 may be more readily"moved: into Vengagement with `their respective `keeper Manifestly, theconstruction shown is capable of considerable modification, and suchmodification as is within the scope of our claims, we consider withinthe spirit of our invention.

l/Ve claim :u

l. An article attaching device, comprising a. body portion formed withrelatively spaced spring fingers adapted to be disposed substantiallytransversely of a portion of' the article and havin@ loops formed intheir intermediate portions, and an arcuate keeper body secured to aportionof said article in proximity to the free extremities of saidspring fingers having keeper members formed upon the oppositeextremities thereof and adapted to receive the extremities of saidspring fingers therein, the length of said keeper body being slightlyless than the distance between said spring fingers prior to theirengagement in the keeper members.

2. An article attaching device comprising asubstantially U-shaped bodyportion formed with a laterally offset basal portion adapted to befixedly secured to an adjacent portion of the article, the oppositesides of said body constituting spring fingers, said lingers beingdisposed in proximity to and substantially transversely of the adjacentportion of the article and having loops formed in their intermediateportions, the lengths of said fingers being greater' than the depth ofvthe article to which they are attached and extending for distancesslightly above the upper side of said article, a keeper body fixedlysecured to the adjacent side of said article in proximity to the freeextremities of said fingers andgformed upon its opposite ends withinturned keeper members adapted, to receive the free portions of saidfingers therein, and the length of said keeper body being less than thenormal distance between said fingers when the same are in their normalopen positions.

3. An article attaching device comprising a single length of' springWire formed into substantally U-shaped fashion, the basal portion ofsaid U-shaped length of Wire being laterally oii'set and fixedly securedto an adjacent portion of the article and the opposite sides of theU-shaped wire being disposed in proximity to the adjacent side of thearticle and substantially transversely thereof', the respective lengthsof said opposite sides of the U-shaped wire being of lengths greaterthan the depth of the article to which they are attached and extendingfor a dis-` tance above the top thereof, said sides of the U-shaped wirehaving loops formed in their intermediate portions, and a keeper memberfixedly secured to an adjacent portion of the article and having keepermembers formed upon its opposite extremities, said keeper body being ofa length slightly less than the normal distance between the oppositesides ceive and retain the free extremities of said Vspring fingers andto engage the same at a point below the enlarged extension thereof tolimit the outward transversal sliding movement of said fingers whenengaged by said keeper means.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

THOMAS LLOYD. THOMAS W. LLOYD.

